Tie rod and cone assembly for a concrete wall form

ABSTRACT

Two unitary one-piece plastic concrete-sealing cones for telescopic reception over the end regions of a flat tie rod which extends across the opposed spaced apart sides of a concrete wall form. The cones serve as washers to prevent concrete from passing through the tie rod openings in the form sides, and they also serve as spreader members, in which case they become interlocked with the tie rod against longitudinal shifting therealong. The cones establish voids in the side surfaces of the hardened concrete wall in the vicinities of breakbacks in the tie rod and a hammer blow on each projecting end of the tie rod releases such end from the concrete wall and effects removal of at least a portion of the adjacent cone from the adjacent void.

0 United States Patent [151 3,653,628

Shoemaker [4 1 A r. 4 1972 54] TIE ROD AND CONE ASSEMBLY FOR A 3,514,0705/1970 McArdle ..249/40 x CONCRETE WALL FORM I Primary Examiner-J.Spencer Overholser [72] Inventor: James C. Shoemaker, Hampshire, lll.Assist, [73] Assignee: Symons Corporation, Des Plaines, lll. AtmmeyN[man Gerlach 221 Filed: Sept. 22, 1970 7 ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No.:74,397 Two unitary one-piece plastic concrete-sealing cones fortelescopic reception over the end regions of a flat tie rod which [52] US Cl 249/214 25/13 T 249/41 extends across the opposed spaced apartsides of a concrete 249/43 49 wall form. The cones serve as washers toprevent concrete [51] Int Cl f 17/10 from passing through the tie rodopenings in the form sides, I 58] Fie'ld 43 214 and they also serve asspreader members, in which case they 249/2'l 5 2 become interlocked withthe tie rod against longitudinal shifting therealong. The conesestablish voids in the side surfaces of the hardened concrete wall inthe vicinities of breakbacks [56] Reterences Cited in the tie rod and ahammer blow on each projecting end of UNITED STATES PATENTS the tie rodreleases such end from the concrete wall and effects removal of at leasta portion of the adjacent cone from 1,293,391 2/1919 Ewing... ..249/2l4the adjacent voicL 2,948,045 8/1960 lmonetti 3,490,730 1/ 1970 Gates..249/43 10 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 4 I972 3 653,628

sum 1 [IF 2 INVENTOR. JAMES 6. SHOEMAKER Atty.

TIE ROD AND CONE ASSEMBLY FOR A CONCRETE WALL FORM The present inventionrelates generally to a tie rod for use in connection with a concretewall form and the like and has particular reference to a flat tie rodwhich with similar tie rods is designed for use in maintaining theopposed spaced apart sides of a concrete wall form in properly spacedrelationship and in holding such form sides against outward displacementduring pouring of wet concrete between sides of the form. Still morespecifically, the invention is concerned with a frangible tie rod of thegeneral type which is shown and described in US. Pat. No. 2,948,045,granted on Aug. 9, 1960 and entitled TIE ROD ASSEMBLY FOR CONCRETE WALLFORMS AND CONE THEREFOR," the tie rod of said patent being adapted toproject completely through the wall form sides and the interveningpoured concrete so that after hardening of the concrete and removal ofthe form in its entirety from the formed wall the projecting ends of thetie rod may be bent,

.twisted, or otherwise worked in various directions to weaken themetalof the rod at the regions where said projections enter the concrete andthus permit rupture or severance of said projecting tie rod ends fromthe medial concrete-embedded portion of the rod. The tie rod which isshown and described in aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 2,948,045 isdesigned for use specifically in connection with a concrete wall formwhich employs prefabricated Steel-Ply panels such as are manufacturedand sold by Symons Corporation of Des Plaines, Illinois It is well knownthat Steel-Ply panels consist of rectangular plywood facings havingmarginal steel reinforcing frames which are notched in such a mannerthat when two panels are set up in edge-to-edge relationship, the framenotches are disposed in register and establish narrow vertical slots forreception therethrough of the adjacent tie rod ends. Being designedspecifically for use with Steel-Ply concrete wall form panels, flat tierods are seldom used with panels having wooden reinforcing frames butwhen they are so used on occasions, it has been the practice to cutshallow notches in the edges of the plywood facings, the tie rodsfitting.

snugly in such notches so as to inhibit seepage of concrete through thenotches when the concrete between the two opposed spaced apart sides ofthe form is poured.'Additionally, it has been necessary practice furtherto seal the tie rod-receiving notches by interposing sealing washersbetween whatever type of spreader cones are used and the plywoodfacings.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of anovel tie rod cone which is designed for assembly with a similar cone onthe end regions of a flat tie rod of the character set forth inaforementioned US. Pat. No. 2,948,045. When the two cones are properlyassembled upon such a tie rod, the resulting tie rod and cone assemblyis particularly well adapted for use in connection with wood-reinforcedconcrete wall form panels where the end regions of the tie rod passthrough circular openings or holes in the plywood facings of theassociated panels. In such a concrete wall form installation, the tierod cones accomplish two objectives, one of these being the eliminationof the necessity for cutting rectangular notches in the edges of theplywood facings for passage of the end regions of the tie rodtherethrough. With the improved tie rod and cone assembly, it is onlynecessary to cut circular holes in the plywood facings of the panels inorder to accommodate the end regions of the tie rod of the assembly. Thecutting of a circular hole may readily be accomplished at the scene ofany given concrete wall form installation by a simple drillingoperation, whereas the cutting of a rectangular notch is difficult andinvolves measuring operations. The tie rod cone of the presentinvention, therefore, extends the usefulness of a flat type tie rod byadapting the latter to convenient use in connection with wood-reinforcedconcrete wall form panels, as well as with Steel-Ply concrete wall formpanels. The other objective involves the elimination of the need for aconcrete sealing washer inasmuch as the tie rod cone of the presentinvention functions not only as a spreader member but also as a concreteseal.

A further advantage of the present tie rod cone is that it facilitatescone extraction after the protruding end region of the associated tierod has been separated from the concreteembedded medial portion of therod. According to the invention, the present tie rod cone is located inthe vicinity of a breakback in the associated tie rod, and after thepoured concrete of the wall has become hardened, removal of theprotruding end region of the tie rod is accomplished by imparting adownward blow to such region with an impact tool such as a hammer. Suchdownward blow not only fractures the tie rod at the point of breakback,but also fractures the cone and withdraws at least one-half of the conefrom the breakback void automatically. The remaining portion of the cone(if any) may easily be withdrawn from the void inasmuch as it becomesloosened from the wall of the void at the time tie rod and cone fracturetakes place. A further advantage of the present invention resides in theease with which a pair of cones may be initially applied to a given fiattie rod, the installation usually being made at the factory rather thanin the field by the simple expedient of slipping the cones over the tierod in telescopic fashion and causing them to become automaticallylocked in position at such time as they move into place in the vicinityof the associated breakbacks in the rod. A still further advantage ofthe invention resides in novel interlocks between the tie rod and thelatters associated cones, the cones becoming progressively shrunk uponthe tie rod as the tension in the latter increases.

Other objects and advantages of the invention, not at this timeenumerated, will readily suggest themselves as the nature of theinvention is better understood from a consideration of the followingdetailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which arehereinafter set forth and are more particularly pointed out by theclaims at the conclusion hereof.

In the accompanying two sheets of drawings forming a part of thisspecification, two embodiments of the invention are shown.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly in section, of aconcrete wall form installation showing the improved tie rod and coneassembly operatively installed therein:

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly in section, showing aportion of the concrete wall which was produced by the concrete wallform installation of FIG. 1, with one of the improved tie rod and coneassemblies in position within the hardened concrete of the wall andillustrating the manner in which one of the protruding end regions ofthe tie rod is broken away from the formed concrete wall;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 3 but showingthe one protruding end region of the tie rod completely removed from theformed concrete wall, together with a portion of the associated cone;

FIG. 5 is a front end view of one of the cones of the improved tie rodand cone assembly:

FIG. 6 is a vertical and longitudinal sectional view taken on the line6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a rear end view of the cone of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of said cone looking in the direction of thearrows in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view, partly in section,and similar to FIGS. 3 and 4 but showing the tie rod and cone assemblyin position prior to removal of one of the protruding end regions of thetie rod;

FIG. 10 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 10-10ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a horizontal transverse sectional view taken on the line11-11 ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary side elevational view of one end region of thetie rod and its applied cone, and illustrating the manner ofinstallation of the cone of the tie rod; and

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of a tie rodin the vicinity of a slightly modified form of cone.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and in particular to FIGS. 1 and9, a fragmentary portion of a composite concrete wall form ofconventional construction is illustrated therein and designated in itsentirety by the reference numeral 10. The wall form consists of twoopposed and spaced apart sides 12 and 14 which are maintained in theirspaced apart relationship by means of a combined tie rod and coneassembly 16 which is constructed according to the present invention andis used with other similar assemblies. For purposes of illustrationherein, the wall form sides 12 and 14 are considered to be in the formof rectangular plywood panels which are disposed in edge-to-edgerelationship and are maintained in coplanar vertical relationship byvertical struts 18 which are backed by horizontal walers 19. Thevertical struts 18 are nailed to the wall form sides 12 and 14 while thewalers 19 are held in place by means of waler supporting bracketassemblies 22 which are attached to the opposite ends of the tie rod andcone assembly 16 in a manner that will be made clear presently. It iscontemplated that after the concrete wall form 10 is assembled at aparticular site, wet concrete will be poured into the space between thetwo form sides 12 and 14. When such concrete hardens, it forms aconcrete wall 29.

The tie rod and cone assembly 16 is comprised of a tie rod 30 and a pairof cones (devices) 32, the latter constituting the principal feature ofthe present invention. Although the devices 32 do not present a conicalappearance, they function in their broadest aspect in the manner ofconventional devices which have come to be known in the art as tie rodcones." For this reason, throughout this specification and in the claimsappended hereto, the term cone will be employed to designate each of thetwo devices 32. Actually, the cones 32 are in the form of flattenedtubular plastic members which present a generally trapezoidal appearanceor configuration when viewed from either side thereof. The specificconfiguration of these cones will be set forth subsequently after thenature of the tie rod 30 on which the cones are installed or mounted hasbeen set forth.

The tie rod 30 is in the form of a length of flat metal stock ofrectangular cross section and of a longitudinal extent appreciablygreater than the distance between the spaced apart sides 12 and 14 ofthe concrete wall form 10. The opposite end regions of the tie rod 30project through circular holes 34 which are cut or drilled in theplywood panels 12 and 14 which form the sides of the concrete wall form10. Longitudinally extending slots 36 are formed in such end regions ofthe tie rod and they cooperate with the parts of the aforementionedwaler clamping bracket assemblies 22. As best illustrated in FIG. 9 ofthe drawings, at regions which are spaced inwardly from the opposite endregions of the tie rod 30 and which, when the tie rod is in actual usewithin a poured concrete wall, are disposed within the confines of thepoured concrete, the metal of the tie rod is relieved by the provisionof pairs of opposed slanting breakback recesses 38 which are in the formof shallow notches that terminate in transverse and outwardly facingshoulders 40, the recesses 38 serving to weaken the tie rod andestablish breakback regions. The recesses 38 thus divide the tie rodinto three sections, namely, a medial section 42 and two end sections orregions 44 (see FIGS. 1, 3 and 4), the medial section constituting afixed section which is adapted to remain embedded in the hardenedconcrete of the wall and the end regions 44 constituting free sectionswhich are adapted to be removed by fracturing the tie rod alongtransverse lines in the vicinity of the breakback recesses 38 in amanner that will be made clear presently. The outer ends of the endregions 44 are pointed as indicated at 45.

The cones 32 of the tie rod and cone assembly 16 are adapted to beapplied to the tie rod either at the factory or in the field prior tosetting up of the concrete wall form 10, and when in position on the tierod, they assume positions wherein they span longitudinal distances ofthe end regions 44 extending from the pairs of shoulders to the placeswhere these end regions emerge from the side surfaces of the concretewall 20. These cones serve the multiple functions of (1) providingoutwardly facing shoulders which engage the opposed inside faces of theform sides 12 and 14, exert a spreading action thereon and preventinward collapse thereof during erection of the concrete wall form 10,(2) creating voids in the side portions of the concrete wall 20, whichvoids, after the form sides have been removed from the wall, affordclearance pockets for "working of the protruding end re- 44 in variousdirections so that the metal of the tie rod may be fractured along linesof cleavage preparatory to removal of such end regions 44, and (3)establishing concrete seals between the tie rod 30 and the circularholes 34 in the plywood panels of the form sides 12 and 14 and throughwhich the tie rod projects.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 5 to 8, inclusive, each cone 32, aspreviously set forth, is in the form of a flattened tubular moldedplastic member. In its free state, the cone presents a pair of slightlyspaced apart side walls 46 and 47 of identical trapezoidal outline,these two side walls being connected together by a converging bottomwall 49, such top and bottom walls being of curved or arcuateconfiguration as best shown in FIGS. 5, 7 and 10. The side walls 46 and47 are generally planar, and since they are of trapezoidal outline, thecone, considered as a whole, presents a larger outer rim or end 59 and asmall inner rim or end 51.

1 A limited portion of each of the two side walls 46 and 47 of each cone32 deviates from the general plane of the wall by the provision of anoutwardly bulging, convex, semi-conical flared apron-like portion 52,the two portions of the cone being directly opposed to each other acrossthe large end of the cone, and, in combination with each other, definingwhat will hereinafter be referred to as a conical apron (seeparticularly FIGS. 8 and 12). The effect of this conical apron 52 is toimpart to the large end 50 of the cone a generally circular portion (seeFIG. 5) which is interrupted by a pair of diametrically opposite loops.The small end 51 of the cone is of slotlike configuration with straightsides and curved ends as best illustrated in FIG. 7.

As clearly shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 12, the side walls 46 and 47 of eachcone 32 are each provided with a central longitudinal or axial slot 56which extends from the small end 51 of the cone nearly to the large end50, the slot passing through the apex region of the conical apron 52 andonwardly to points near the base of such apron region. The slots 56 thusdivide the cone 32 into two counterpart sections including an uppersection 58 as viewed in FIG. 12 and a lower section 60, the two sectionsbeing joined together by two narrow connecting hinge-like webs 62 (seeFIG. 12). As will be described in greater detail presently, the webs 62establish flexible resilient connections between the upper and lowersections 58 and 60 and allow for slight spreading movement between thesetwo sections during initial application of the cone 32 to the tie rod 30as illustrated schematically in dotted lines in FIG. 12 and as likewisewill be described in greater detail subsequently.

Considering now the internal configuration of the tubular cone 32, andas best shown in FIG. 6, the top and bottom walls 48 and 49 of each coneand the adjacent portions of the side walls 46 and 47 near the small end51 of the cone flow into one another, so to speak, and provide thickenedsolid webs 64 which establish a narrow rectangular entrance slot 66 (seeFIG. 7) for the tie rod 30 at the small end of the cone, the length ofthe slot being considerably less than the transverse width of the tierod and the width of the slot being substantially equal to the thicknessof the tie rod. The webs 64 also possess a functional characteristic inthat they constitute the tie rod-engaging jaws which cooperate with theshoulders 40 (see FIG. 9) to provide an interlock between the cone andthe tie rod when the tie rod assembly is put to use in a concrete wallform as will be described subsequently.

In addition to the internal webs 64, the inside faces of the side walls46 and 47 of each cone 32 are formed with two pairs of longitudinallyextending ribs 70 (see FIGS. 5, 6 and 9) which are parallel to eachother and extend from the webs 64 to points near the large end 50 of thecone. These two pairs of ribs 70 are spaced apart a distancesubstantially equal to the transverse width of the tie rod 30, and asshown in FIG. 10, the ribs of each pair overhang a longitudinal edge ofthe tie rod and maintain the cone 32 as a whole and the tie rod in theirproper coaxial relationship against rocking of the cone on the tie rod.The planar portions of the side walls 46 and 47, of course, closely hugthe opposite sides of the tie rod 30 and prevent rotation or angulardisplacement of the cone with respect to the tie rod.

Referring now to FIG. 12, as previously stated, installation of the twocones 32 on the tie rod 30 may be accomplished either at the factory orin the field, the installation taking place manually and without the useof tools by the simple expedient of telescopically sliding the conesover the opposite end regions 44 of the tie rod. Inasmuch as each cone32 is comprised of two similar upper and lower sections 58 and 60, thecone is reversible insofar as it may be applied to either end region 44of the tie rod 30. Inasmuch as the end extremities of the tie rod 30 arepointed, initial entry of either end region of the tie rod into theentrance slot 66 in the small end 51 of the cone will serve to spreadthe two sections 58 and 60 of the cone apart as shown in dotted lines inFIG. 12, the two webs 64 riding on the opposite longitudinal edges ofthe-tie rod as the cone is pushed further inwardly along the tie rodtoward the adjacent slanting breakback recesses 38. At such time as thewebs 64 encounter the slanting recesses 38, the webs 64 move inwardlytoward each other until such time as they come into contact with theshoulders 40. At this time, the cone 32 assumes its natural condition,i.e., the condition which it assumes in its free state prior toinstallation upon the tie rod, and the ribs 70 which, during sliding ofthe cone into its interlocked condition on the tie rod, initially movedout of contact with the longitudinal edges of the tie rod, now return totheir normal positions of parallelism and closely hug such longitudinaledges as shown by the full line position of the cone in FIG. 12. Theslot 56 which, up until the cone attained its interlocked relationshipon the tie rod, became widened as shown in the dotted line position ofthe cone in FIG. 12, again is restored to its normal width orsubstantially so. The cone 32 is thus interlocked with the tie rod 30 sothat during shipment and subsequent handling of the tie rod and coneassembly 16, there will be no occasion for either cone to slip from itsposition on the tie rod. The slanting recesses 38 will not permitoutward movement of the two cones 32 since the edges of such recessesare engaged by the webs 64, while inward sliding of the cones on the tierod is positively prevented by reason of the contact between these websand the shoulders 40.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, in erecting any given concrete wallform such as the one which is illustrated in FIG. 1, one side of theform is initially set up, for example, the side represented by thereference numeral 12. The circular holes 34 are initially drilled in thetwo form sides 12 and 14 at appropriate locations so that after the side12 is brought to its approximate vertical position, the various tie rods30 of the tie rod and cone assemblies may be applied to said side byinsertin g either of the two end regions 44 through the correspondingholes from the inside of the form. The various struts 18, having beenpreviously nailed in position on the walls 12 and 14, the walers 19 maybe placed in position against the struts and the waler-supportingbracket assemblies 22 applied to the tie rod end regions so as to drawthe walers hard against the struts in the usual manner of wooden wallform erection.

Various forms of waler-supporting bracket assemblies may be used forholding the walers in position and applying tension to the tie rods butfor exemplary purposes herein the waler supporting bracket assembliesselected for use are of the general type which is shown and described inmy copending US. Pat. application Ser. No. 808,503, filed on Mar. 19,1969, and entitled SELF-CONTAINED WALER CLAMP AS- SEMBLY FOR CONCRETEWALL FORM. Reference may be had to such patent application for a fullunderstanding of the nature of the waler-supporting bracket assemblies22 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but for purposes of description herein, it isdeemed sufficient to point out that each assembly 22 is comprised of twoparts, namely, a bracket proper 72 and a wedge 74. The bracket 72 is ofU-shape configuration and has an upper leg 76 which is formed with ahook 78 which is engaged in the slot 38 which is provided in theadjacent protruding end region 44 of the associated tie rod 30 a slightdistance inwards from the pointed end extremity as is customary with tierods of the character under consideration. The bracket proper 72 furtheris provided with a lower leg 82 which engages the outer face of the formside 12. Aligned holes 84 and 86 in the legs 76 and 82, respectively,receive the wedge 74 therein so that when the latter is drivendownwardly by an impact blow, the walers 19 are drawn against the struts18 while the adjacent protruding end region 44 of the tie rod 30 isplaced under tension, thus drawing the large end 50 of the adjacent cone32 against the inside face of the form side 12 in surrounding andconcrete sealing relationship with respect to the circular hole 34.

After all of the tie rods 30 of the various tie rod and cone assemblies16 have thus been installed in their associated holes 34 in form side 12and all of the wedges 74 of the waler-supporting bracket assemblies 22have been driven into position, the various tie rods will extendhorizontally away from the form 12 and in the direction of the form side14 which subsequently is brought into position in order to complete theconcrete wall form 10. As the form side 14 is thus brought intoposition, the end regions 44 of the tie rods 30 that are remote from theform side 12 are caused to pass through the various circular holes 34 inthe form sides 14 and the walers l9 and waler-supporting bracketassemblies 22 are then applied to the form side 14 in the mannerpreviously described in connection with the form side 12. After thevarious wedges 74 have been driven into place, the large ends 50 of thecones 32 will be drawn against the inside face of the form side 14 insealing relationship with respect to the aforementioned circular holes34 in the form side 14 and the concrete wall form 10 is then complete.

It is to be noted at this point that as each wedge 74 is driven intoposition, the pressure which the adjacent form side exerts against thelarge end of each cone 32 tends to collapse the cone, so to speak, andcause the solid webs 64 to squeeze the associated tie rod 30therebetween to a degree which is proportional to the pressure that isexerted by the wedge 74. At the same time, the large end 50 of the cone32 bears hard against the inside face of the form side and completelyencompasses the adjacent circular hole 34 so as to preclude egress ofpoured concrete through such hole at the time concrete-pouringoperations are instituted.

The material from which the plastic cones 32 are molded is fairlyresilient and possesses good restorative properties when deformed fromits original shape. However, under certain circumstances, as, forexample, in extremely cold weather, there is a possibility that thespreading action which is exerted on the webs 64 in the event that agiven cone is installed upon a tie rod in the field may be such as topreclude complete return of the two cone sections 58 and 60 to theiroriginal positions. Stated otherwise, after pushing a given cone 32 ontothe associated tie rod 30 in the manner previously described, the twowebs 64, although they may enter the breakback recesses 38, may notclose tightly upon the bottoms of such recesses. In such event, afterthe wedge 74 of the Walter-supporting bracket 22 has been driven to itshome position, the pressure that is exerted by the form side against thelarge end 50 of the cone will restore the cone to a fully closedcondition wherein the webs 64 firmly grip the opposite side orlongitudinal edges of the tie rod 30.

In FIG. 13, a slightly modified form of cone is shown, the cone beingidentified by the reference numeral 132 and being substantiallyidentical in every respect to the cone 32 with the single exception thatin the natural or free condition of the cone 132, the large end thereofis fashioned on an arcuate bias of large radius of curvature, thusaffording a pair of projecting regions 200 which initially engage theinside face of the adjacent form side so that as the associatedwaler-clamping and supporting bracket assembly causes the tie rod to beplaced under tension in the manner previously described, the large end150 is caused to flatten out on the inside face of the form side. Suchflattening of the large end 150 insures a positive engagement of thewebs 164 with the opposite sides of the tie rod. Due to the similaritybetween the form of cone 132 as shown in FIG. 13 and the cone 32 asshown in FIGS. 1 through 12, and in order to avoid needless repetitionof description, similar characters of reference but of a higher orderhave been applied to the corresponding parts as between the similardisclosures of FIG. 13 and FIGS. 1 to 12. The cones 32 and 132 areinterchangeable in use, their manner of application to a tie rod andtheir function in an erected concrete wall form being substantially thesame.

The tie rod cones 32 and 132, as the case may be, are conducive towardready removal of the protruding tie rod end regions 44 from the hardenedconcrete wall 20 after the form sides 12 and 14 have been strippedtherefrom. The manner in which such end regions are broken away from themedial concrete-embedded section 42 is schematically shown in FIGS. 3and 4. It will be understood, of course, that after stripping of theform sides 12 and 14 from the sides of the hardened concrete wall 20,the medial section 42 of the tie rod 30 will remain firmly embedded inthe hardened concrete of said wall while the cones 32 will establishconformably shaped pockets or voids 90 in the side surfaces of the wall,the end regions 44 of the tie rod 30 protruding end region 44 from theembedded section 42 may be accomplished by striking such protruding endregion with an impact tool such as the sledge or hammer 92 so as toimpart a downward blow thereto. Usually a single blow will suffice tofracture the tie rod at the base of the breakback recesses 38, Le, at atransverse line of cleavage extending across the tie rod in the vicinityof the shoulders 40 where the tie rod is narrowest, this line ofcleavage being indicated by the dotted line 94 in FIG. 9.

It is to be noted that immediately after the blow has been struck, thelower web 64 of the cone 32 will function as a fulcrum point for tiltingof the dislodged tie rod end region 44 while the upper web 64 willautomatically be compressed and pried, so to speak, outwardly of thevoid 90, thus dislodging the upper section 58 and removing the samecompletely from the void as shown in FIG. 4. At the same time, the lowersection 60 of the cone will, by reason of the transfer of impact forcethereto, also become loosened in the void 90, this latter section,depending on chance, sometimes being completely removed from the void,or alternatively, remaining within the void, but in either event, theadhesive bond with respect to the wall of the void being broken. it isthen a comparatively simple matter to extract such lower section 60 fromthe void, using a hook-like tool or other instrument for fishing it fromthe void. After removal of both cone sections 58 and 60, the void 90 maybe patched in the usual manner with grout to present a smooth wallsurface. It will be understood that at the time the upper cone section58 becomes dislodged from the void 90, the webs 62 which normally jointhe two sections 58 and 60 together will yield and become fractured.

The tie rod cones 32 of FIGS. 1 to 12, inclusive, and the tie rod cone132 of FIG. 13 are particularly efficient when used with a tie rod whichpossesses slanting recesses of the character shown at 38, but it will beunderstood that such cones are effectively useable with conventionalflat slotted tie rods of the type shown and described in aforementionedpatent application Ser. No. 808,503, or as shown in US. Pat. No.2,948,045. Such conventional tie rods are equipped with breakbacks whichare established by providing opposed pairs of V-shaped notches in thelongitudinal side edges of the tie rods and the webs 64 of the cone 32,or the webs 164 of the cone 132, are so designed that they willcooperate with such conventional breakback notches so that the cone as awhole will function in the manner described herein, both during wallform erection and wall form dismantling.

It is also to be noted that although the cones 32 and 132 of the presentinvention have been described specifically in coni this specification asvarious changes in the details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore,only insofar as the invention is particularly pointed out in theaccompanying claims is the same to be limited.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by letters patent is:

l. A tie rod and cone assembly designed to hold a pair of upstandingconcrete wall form sides in spaced relation, adapted to project throughtransversely aligned holes provided in said form sides, and comprising aone-piece strip of flat metal stock having parallel side edges which areformed with pairs of breakback recesses that are spaced inwards from theends of the strip, thus dividing the strip into an inner medial sectionand outer end regions, and a tubular resilient cone telescopicallyreceived on each end region and having an inner rim provided withopposed jaw portions which project into the adjacent breakback recesses,and an outer rim which for the most part is remote from said end region,said cone being formed with oppositely disposed slots therein whichextend from said inner rim to points adjacent to said outer rim thusdividing the cone into two identical counterpart sections which arejoined together by narrow hinge-like webs in the vicinity of said outerrim, whereby axial pressure which is applied to said outer rim willmaintain said jaw portions entirely within the confines of saidrecesses.

2. A tie rod and cone assembly as set forth in claim 1 and wherein saidcone is of generally flat over-all configuration, and is provided withgenerally trapezoidal side walls which straddle and, for the most part,closely hug the opposite flat sides of the flat metal strip.

3. A tie rod and cone assembly as set forth in claim 2 and wherein saidside walls are formed with outwardly bulging semi-conical convex apronportions which have their bases coincident with said outer rim of thecone, extend inwardly from said outer rim of the cone, and are adaptedto seat against the adjacent side of the form when the tie rod is inposition thereon.

4. A tie rod and cone assembly as set forth in claim 3 and wherein eachside wall is formed internally of the cone with a pair of protuberanceswhich straddle the side edges of said outer end region in closeproximity thereto.

5. A tie rod and cone assembly as set forth in claim 4 and wherein eachof said protuberances is in the form of a longitudinally extending ribwhich extends from one of said jaw portions to a region closely adjacentto said outer rim of the cone.

6. A tie rod and cone assembly as set forth in claim 4 and wherein eachof said breakback recesses is in the form of an elongated shallow notchwhich terminates at its inner end in an outwardly facing jaw-engagingshoulder.

7. A tie rod and cone assembly as set forth in claim 6 and wherein theshallow notches afforded by said breakback recesses present inwardlyslanting bottom walls.

8. A tie rod and cone assembly as set forth in claim 2 and wherein eachof said trapezoidal side walls has its large base coincident with theouter rim of the cone and such large base is of arcuate configuration ona relatively large radius of curvature.

9. A tie rod and cone assembly designed to hold a pair of upstandingconcrete wall form sides in spaced relationship adapted to projectthrough transversely aligned holes in said form sides, and comprising atie rod in the form of a one-piece strip of flat metal stock presentingstraight parallel side edges, said side edges being provided at a regionspaced inwardly from one end of the strip with recesses the existence ofwhich establishes a reduction in the transverse width of the strip and aconsequent weakening of the tie rod at such region, thus dividing thetie rod into a fixed inner section adapted to remain embedded in theconcrete which is poured between said form sides and a free outer endregion adapted to project outwardly from one face of the poured concreteand be wrested from the fixed section by impact thereagainst, and atubular cone encompassing said end region of the strip and extending ashort distance longitudinally from said region toward said one end ofthe strip, said cone having an outer rim adapted to bear against saidone form side and an inner rim projecting into said recesses, said outerrim being for the most part disposed remote from said strip, said conebeing formed with oppositely disposed slots therein extending from saidinner rim to points adjacent to said inner rim, thus dividing the coneinto identical counterpart sections which are joined together by narrowfrangible connecting webs, whereby the pressure exerted by said one formside against the outer rim of the cone serves to maintain said inner rimdisposed in said recesses.

10. A tie rod and cone assembly as set forth in claim 9 and wherein saidcone is of generally flat over-all configuration and is provided withtrapezoidal side walls which straddle and, for the most part, closelyhug the opposite flat sides of the strip.

1. A tie rod and cone assembly designed to hold a pair of upstandingconcrete wall form sides in spaced relation, adapted to project throughtransversely aligned holes provided in said form sides, and comprising aone-piece strip of flat metal stock having parallel side edges which areformed with pairs of breakback recesses that are spaced inwards from theends of the strip, thus dividing the strip into an inner medial sectionand outer end regions, and a tubular resilient cone telescopicallyreceived on each end region and having an inner rim provided withopposed jaw portions which project into the adjacent breakback recesses,and an outer rim which for the most part is remote from said end region,said cone being formed with oppositely disposed slots therein whichextend from said inner rim to points adjacent to said outer rim thusdividing the cone into two identical counterpart sections which arejoined together by narrow hingelike webs in the vicinity of said outerrim, whereby axial pressure which is applied to said outer rim willmaintain said jaw portions entirely within the confines of saidrecesses.
 2. A tie rod and cone assembly as set forth in claim 1 andwherein said cone is of generally flat over-all configuration, and isprovided with generally trapezoidal side walls which straddle and, forthe most part, closely hug the opposite flat sides of the flat metalstrip.
 3. A tie rod and cone assembly as set forth in claim 2 andwherein said side walls are formed with outwardly bulging semi-conicalconvex apron portions which have their bases coincident with said outerrim of the cone, extend inwardly from said outer rim of the cone, andare adapted to seat against the adjacent side of the form when the tierod is in position thereon.
 4. A tie rod and cone assembly as set forthin claim 3 and wherein each side wall is formed internally of the conewith a pair of protuberances which straddle the side edges of said outerend region in close proximity thereto.
 5. A tie rod and cone assembly asset forth in claim 4 and wherein each of said protuberances is in theform of a longitudinally extending rib which extends from one of saidjaw portions to a region closely adjacent to said outer rim of the cone.6. A tie rod and cone assembly as set forth in claim 4 and wherein eachof said breakback recesses is in the form of an elongated shallow notchwhich terminates at its inner end in an outwardly facing jaw-engagingshoulder.
 7. A tie rod and cone assembly as set forth in claim 6 andwherein the shallow notches afforded by said breakback recesses presentinwardly slanting bottom walls.
 8. A tie rod and cone assembly as setforth in claim 2 and wherein each of said trapezoidal side walls has itslarge base coincident with the outer rim of the cone and such large baseis of arcuate configuration on a relatively large radius of curvature.9. A tie rod and cone assembly designed to hold a pair of upstandingconcrete wall form sides in spaced relationship adapted to projectthrough transversely aligned holes in said form sides, and comprising atie rod in the form of a one-piece strip of flat metal stock presentingstraight parallel side edges, said side edges being provided at a regionspaced inwardly from one end of the strip with recesses the existence ofwhich establishes A reduction in the transverse width of the strip and aconsequent weakening of the tie rod at such region, thus dividing thetie rod into a fixed inner section adapted to remain embedded in theconcrete which is poured between said form sides and a free outer endregion adapted to project outwardly from one face of the poured concreteand be wrested from the fixed section by impact thereagainst, and atubular cone encompassing said end region of the strip and extending ashort distance longitudinally from said region toward said one end ofthe strip, said cone having an outer rim adapted to bear against saidone form side and an inner rim projecting into said recesses, said outerrim being for the most part disposed remote from said strip, said conebeing formed with oppositely disposed slots therein extending from saidinner rim to points adjacent to said inner rim, thus dividing the coneinto identical counterpart sections which are joined together by narrowfrangible connecting webs, whereby the pressure exerted by said one formside against the outer rim of the cone serves to maintain said inner rimdisposed in said recesses.
 10. A tie rod and cone assembly as set forthin claim 9 and wherein said cone is of generally flat over-allconfiguration and is provided with trapezoidal side walls which straddleand, for the most part, closely hug the opposite flat sides of thestrip.